Antibiotics are considered an important weapon against bacterial diseases around the world. The increase in multidrug-resistant germs is increasingly becoming a health risk.
The fact that we have resistance is not only due to excessive use, but also because antibiotics are often not taken according to the prescribed schedule. They are often stopped too soon because patients recover and are under the impression that they no longer need to take medication. This also contributes to the fact that antibiotics are increasingly ineffective
Mag. Alexander Herzog, General Secretary of PHARMIG
Vienna (OTS) – “As much as necessary, as little as possible.” This motto for antibiotic use is intended to help curb the development of resistance. But more and more antibiotics lose their effectiveness due to resistance. According to the European Commission, the use of antibiotics in the EU has decreased, but at the same time more and more reserve antibiotics are being used. World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), which runs until November 24, serves to once again highlight the conscious and correct use of antibiotics, as well as the correct intake by sick people.
“The fact that we have resistance is not only due to excessive use, but also because antibiotics are often not taken according to the prescribed schedule. They are often stopped too soon because patients recover and are under the impression that they no longer need to take medication. This also contributes to antibiotics becoming increasingly ineffective”, says Alexander Herzog, General Secretary of PHARMIG. Therefore, it is important to provide constant information on the correct use and use of this important weapon in the fight against bacterial diseases, says Herzog.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that antibiotic resistance could cause up to ten million deaths per year worldwide by 2050. Innovative antibiotics that work against new types of pathogens are urgently needed, but should be used sparingly , for example, as reserve agents for emergencies. Antibiotic development is complex and expensive. Herzog says: “Several therapies against bacterial infections and multi-resistant germs are currently being developed, but to maintain the lead over resistant bacteria, there would have to be more and, above all, more preparations with new mechanisms of action. Furthermore, experience shows that only a portion of projects under development reach approval.” Companies involved in research and development face many setbacks and are repeatedly unable to raise the necessary capital for the complex and… undertake risky research.
“The burden and high risk for companies in developing new antibiotics is explained by the limited use of antibiotics. They should be used as rarely as possible to avoid resistance. At the same time, the search in the microbial kingdom for mechanisms of action that can keep new pathogens at bay, from basic research to clinical development, is very complex and time-consuming. This is illustrated by the many setbacks and also the manageable number of new approvals in the last ten years. “Therefore, new funding incentive models are urgently needed in order to significantly strengthen research in this area and combat the great health risk caused by antibiotic resistance,” Herzog appeals to politicians.
The AMR Action Fund is a measure to stimulate the development of the next generation of antibiotics. The fund, co-founded and significantly co-financed by the pharmaceutical industry in 2020 as a public-private partnership, supports biotechnology companies in the early clinical phases of short- and medium-term antibiotic development. Given that even innovative antibiotics are not permanently immune to resistance, it is important to invest in research, development and long-term competitive framework conditions.
About PHARMIG: PHARMIG is the voluntary interest group of the Austrian pharmaceutical industry. The association currently has around 120 members (as of November 2023), covering around 95% of the medicines market. PHARMIG and its associated companies defend the best possible security in the supply of medicines in the healthcare system and guarantee social and medical progress through quality and innovation.
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PHARMIG – Association of the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry
Peter Richter, BA MA MBA
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